A wide variety of different types of cables are utilized to transmit power and/or communications signals. In certain types of cables, it is desirable to provide separation for internal cable components. For example, certain cables make use of multiple twisted pairs of conductors to communicate signals. In each pair, the wires are twisted together in a helical fashion to form a balanced transmission line. When twisted pairs are placed in close proximity, such as within the core of a cable, electrical energy may be transferred from one pair of the cable to another pair. Such energy transfer between pairs is undesirable and is referred to as crosstalk. Crosstalk causes interference to the information being transmitted through the twisted pairs and can reduce the data transmission rate and cause an increase in bit rate error. Interlinking typically occurs when two adjacent twisted pairs are pressed together, and interlinking can lead to an increase in crosstalk among the wires of adjacent twisted pairs.
In order to improve crosstalk performance, separators (also referred to as separation fillers, fillers, interior supports, or splines) have been inserted into many conventional cables. These separators serve to separate adjacent twisted pairs and limit or prevent interlinking of the twisted pairs. However, many conventional separator arc often formed as preformed structures, such as preformed cross-fillers, that have relatively limited flexibility and include a longitudinally continuous cross-sectional structure. Other conventional separators are formed from relatively flat tapes that only serve to bisect a cable core and may not provide separation for all of the twisted pairs. In the event that a flat tape is folded into another structure, such as a cross-filler, the resulting separator may be relatively bulky, inflexible, and utilize a relatively large amount of material. Accordingly, there is an opportunity for improved cable structures in which a tape structure may be scored or cut and then longitudinally twisted.